David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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936. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated total cost in 2021 of a total population vaccination campaign, assuming near 100% uptake with reasonable exceptions for those that cannot be safely vaccinated, scaled on the usual quantity percentage breakdown across quadrivalent influenza vaccine and live attenuated influenza vaccine and other types of vaccine by cost of vaccine and administration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27041/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE has placed orders for 1.35 million doses of the Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine for the forthcoming winter. This vaccine will be made available to all persons in an at-risk group from 6 months up, other than children aged from 2 to 12 years old inclusive. The HSE has also ordered 600,000 doses of the Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine, which is delivered via nasal drops rather than by injection and will be made available to all children aged from 2 to 12 years old inclusive.   

 The total influenza vaccination programme in 2020 is expected to cost approximately €77 million, with approximately €61.5 million of that cost associated with the expansion of the programme. It is not possible to estimate the cost of expanding the influenza program to provide vaccine administration without charge to the entire population, as the calculation would depend on too many variables such as the type, quantity and cost of vaccine to be procured, the rate of vaccine uptake, and the method and cost of administering the vaccine.